own affairs to help a stranger. He would have had to deal with it himself, deal with the other driver as well. Although it wouldn’t have been a problem as such; after all, he was medically qualified. But would Lauren have told him that she was pregnant or would she have been put off by his attitude? The thought that she might not have disclosed the information settled like a heavy weight inside him. He couldn’t help wondering what other information he had missed over the years because people had been deterred by his less than encouraging approach. What had the redhead said before—that he needed to work on his people skills? It seemed she was right.
Elliot could feel all sorts of emotions swirling around inside him as he headed to his car. It was years since he had felt so unsure about his actions and it shook him. Every aspect of his life, from the tiniest detail to the most major decision, was always planned in advance. To find himself awash with doubts all of a sudden was scary. It made him feel vulnerable, defenceless.
‘Is everything all right?’
Elliot jumped, his heart racing, when he discovered that the woman was bending down beside the open window. Before he could stop himself, he found himself taking rapid stock of large hazel eyes, a straight little nose, a perfectly curved Cupid’s bow, and his racing heart raced a bit faster. He hadn’t noticed it before but all of a sudden he realised how attractive she was...
‘Are you sure you’re OK?’
A slim hand reached in and closed around his arm and Elliot flinched. It wasn’t her touch per se but the effect it had on him. Heat poured through his veins so that all of a sudden it felt as though he was on fire. What the hell was going on? Why was he burning up because this woman had touched him? It certainly fell beyond the range of rational explanation. All he could do was pray it would stop—and stop soon. Stop before the damage became permanent.
Panic rose inside him, adding to the conflagration. He didn’t want to respond to her this way, didn’t want to start yearning for things he had sworn he didn’t need. He wanted his life to remain exactly the same as it had been for the past eight years, and yet he had a feeling that it was already too late, that what had happened today had changed things, changed him. He took a deep breath as his vision swam. Today was going to affect his whole future and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it either!
* * *
Polly could feel the heat of the man’s skin flowing through her fingertips and frowned. Although it was a warm day for April, it wasn’t so warm that it should have caused such a rise in his temperature. Sliding her hand down to his wrist, she checked his pulse, her frown deepening when she discovered how rapid it was. He’d told her that he had strained a muscle but that didn’t explain why his pulse was racing like this, did it?
‘Do you feel sick or dizzy?’ she said, bending closer so that she could look into his eyes. Maybe he had hit his head when he had run into the back of the van, she thought anxiously. It was a known fact that a head injury could take some time to present itself and if it was left untreated it could have disastrous consequences. The thought sent a rush of fear scudding through her.
‘Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?’ Polly said urgently, checking his pupils for any irregularities, a sure sign of a head injury.
‘No. I just wrenched my neck.’
His voice was deep, husky, and Polly felt a frisson run through her. All of a sudden she was aware of him in a way she had never expected to be. She let her gaze travel over his face in the hope that she would find some clue there to explain what was happening. His eyes were green, a deep sea-green, framed by thick black lashes. His eyebrows were black too, making his skin appear paler than she would have expected, apart from along his jaw where the shadow of stubble had darkened it. His features were, frankly, uncompromising, the chiselled lines of his nose and jaw adding to the impression of a man who gave few concessions in life. Only his mouth hinted at a gentler side, the full lower lip looking disturbingly sensual. What would it be like to kiss him? Polly wondered. To feel his mouth on hers, hard and demanding at first, before his lips softened...
Heat flashed through her veins and she drew back abruptly, scared by the feelings that thought had aroused. She couldn’t recall feeling this kind of raw desire before, not even when she and Martin had made love. If she was honest, their lovemaking had been a disappointment. Although she’d had a couple of affairs during her time at college, she didn’t have a huge amount of experience and she had wondered if that was why their lovemaking hadn’t lived up to her expectations. Now she realised that it hadn’t been solely her fault and that Martin had been equally to blame. Oh, he might have gone through the motions of making love to her but had his heart been in it when he had met someone else? Someone he had wanted more than her? Polly sighed sadly. A lot of heartache could have been avoided if only Martin had found the courage to tell her the truth. It was a relief when the sound of a mobile phone ringing cut through her unhappy thoughts.
‘Elliot Grey.’ The man pressed a button on the dashboard and answered the call.
‘It’s Sister Thomas, sir. I’m afraid little Alfie Nolan’s condition has deteriorated. Dr Walters wants to take him to Theatre. He feels the faulty heart valve needs to be replaced immediately.’
Polly bit back a gasp as she listened to the conversation. So this was Elliot Grey! Oh, she’d heard about him, of course: who hadn’t? That one of the country’s leading paediatric surgeons had chosen to head up the team at their local hospital had set everyone talking. Polly had been as surprised as everyone else that he had opted to leave London and relocate to Yorkshire, and now that she had met him her amazement knew no bounds. Maybe it was naïve to make such an assumption but surely a man who spent his life caring for the most vulnerable patients should be more, well...approachable?
‘Tell Dr Walters that I shall be there as soon as I can. In the meantime, he’s to do nothing.’ Elliot Grey cut the connection without further ado. Polly suspected that he considered such niceties as saying goodbye a waste of his time. Scrolling down the list of telephone numbers, he selected one, speaking as soon as the call was answered. ‘It’s Elliot Grey. I have to go back to the hospital so I shall need you to stay with my son until I get back, Mrs Danton.’
‘I’m sorry, Dr Grey, but that isn’t possible. I’m looking after my grandchildren this morning while my daughter’s at work and I’m already late as it is,’ Iris Danton replied firmly.
‘Surely your daughter can find someone else to mind them,’ Elliot snapped back. ‘This is an emergency, after all.’
‘Maybe it is, but there’ll be another emergency if my daughter loses her job. No, I stepped in last night to help you but I can’t do it again today.’
With that the woman hung up. Polly sympathised with her because it was a bit rich to expect her to let down her daughter to fit in with Elliot Grey’s plans. However, she also knew how urgent it was that he returned to the hospital and it was that which made her speak up, that and nothing else. It definitely had nothing to do with all those crazy feelings that had swept through her a few minutes earlier.
‘I can mind your son if you’re stuck.’
‘You?’ Elliot Grey turned icy green eyes on her and Polly almost took a step back. She forced herself to stand her ground, wondering why he was so hostile when she was offering to do him a favour.
‘Yes, me. As I told you, I’m the community midwife for this area, so I think you can trust me to take good care of him.’ She shrugged when he just kept on staring at her. ‘My name’s Polly Davies. You can call the maternity unit if you want to check I’m who I say I am. They’ll vouch for me.’
‘I
